The revised edition of "Storm Warning" that Thomas Nelson published this year reminds me of a panoramic mural by one of the impressionist masters. Portrayed in vivid colors, the book of Revelations provides the background. The middle ground displays in bold strokes the connectivity of our present global conditions to the prophecy in Revelations. It reveals our responsibility as God's people to prepare ourselves, our families, and our communities for the difficult times ahead. Front and center in the mural, stands the pivotal event of all time: the cross of Calvary. (This should come as no surprise to any reader since Billy Graham committed his whole life to sharing this message of repentance, forgiveness, and redemption.)

Most masters would paint a storm warning in dark, forbidding colors. Not so, Mr. Graham. With delicate strokes and rich detail, he gives encouragement and instruction so that the book is a call to action, as much as it is an explanation. To add a layer of depth and enrichment to the mural, Mr. Graham added personal experiences and bits of Godly wisdom tucked into tiny niches.

Like an impressionist's mural, "Storm Warning's" beauty cannot be fully appreciated with a single reading. Pick it up again and again to appreciate every facet.

I grew up in the church, in fact, my sisters and I joke that our first stop after the hospital was not home but our family church. Truth is that we didn't realize that our childhood was unusual until we moved to Italy and found out that everyone does not attend church 5 or 6 days out of the week. Seriously, it wasn't until then that I found out that children don't have birthday parties in the church basement. That's where we always had ours.

As a child, two of the tenets of our belief system that always interested me were Bible prophecy and the return of Christ, partially out of fear and partially out of the sheer wonderment of it all. Prophecy is scattered throughout the Bible, but the most quoted scriptures come from the books of Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation. Basically, those books foretell various social, financial and natural disasters that will occur prior to the return of Christ for His church (the Rapture). Reading those books can be difficult to understand on your own but through Billy Graham's gentle guidance in Storm Warning, the relationship between Bible prophecy and newspaper headlines are made clear. It must be noted here that this is an update to the 1992 edition by the same name.

Storms have always had a significant meaning in the lives of Christians. In the Bible, storms are used to represent the troubling times that believers must endure to receive their blessings. But more than that, Billy Graham explains that these storm warnings are God's way of telling people that we must return to the gospel before it's too late. As an example of warnings going unheeded, Billy Graham points to the people who taunted God and nature during Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina. Repeatedly, they were warned to move inland before the storms arrived but many people said they'd ride it out, some even chose to "celebrate" the storms at bars only to lose their lives because they chose not to be obedient.

I think the overriding message of the book is not to fear what is to come but to know and understand that God loved us so much that He warns us to get out of harm's way and it is up to us to obey and live (eternally through Him) or disobey and die (suffer the consequences for disobedience).

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me courtesy of Thomas Nelson (which is now BookSneeze) free of charge in exchange for a review. This does not in any way influence my review. To purchase the book, you may click on the picture or the link which will take you to Amazon.com. I do not benefit from your purchase. ( )

Wheter you are interested in Bible prophecy or just an avid reader of Billy Graham's work, I believe you will find what you are looking for in Storm Warnings. This book was first written in 1992 and revised and updated in lieu of today world happenings and republished in 2010.Whenever any disaster would befall our world my mother would always reply, "it's just another sign of the times". Often I understood this but there was so much I did not. Billy Graham has taken todays world events and placed them in perspective. With wars, rumors of wars, natural disasters, financial disasters and more this book is a must read. Billy Graham doesn't disappoint. He helps us see the connections between what is gpoing on now in the world and what the scriptures have to say. He helps us see what we can expect all the while pointing the way to Jesus as Savior of the World. I will be passing this book on with the stipulation that the next person and the next, etc. passes it on. This is a must read book. ( )

Wikipedia in English

From the riots in L.A. to the dramatic changes in Russia to the AIDS crisis, renowned evangelist Billy Graham takes readers on a guided tour of the '90s in a "state of the world address." Placing a new perspective on what is happening today and what to expect tomorrow, Graham's message rings with hope, offering readers a positive outlook for the future. Serial rights to Decision Magazine. (Cover Title)